72.9% of Spanish juices and nectars are exported to the EU

Manel González. Journalist

In 2015, Spaniards consumed 941 million liters of juice and nectars, 2.7% less than in 2014 (968 million). In per capita terms, consumption amounted to 20.3 liters/person. This data comes from the annual report drafted and recently published by the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN), which notes "Spain's leading position in Europe, with an average of 19 liters per person per year, trailing large consumer countries with less access to fresh fruit, like Germany and Finland (more than 25 liters per person per year)", according to the President of the Spanish Association of Juice Producers (Asozumos), Javier Lorenzo.

The decline in consumption in Spain, of nectars (575.5 million liters, 2.8% less than in 2014) and fruit juices (365.9 million, -2.55%) is evident in the report.

As for nectars, brand names brought 352 million liters to market, 3.75% less than one year ago, while private label brands sold 224 million liters, a slide of 1.28%.

The most notable decline was visible in the consumption of brand name fruit juices, which tumbled 7.5% compared with 2014 (204 million liters, compared with 221). Private label products saw an increase of 4.53%, to 162 million liters.

In terms of total volume (juices and nectars), private label brands increased slightly in 2015, from 39.5% to 41%.

Orange juice continues to be the most popular, with 30% of the market, followed by pineapple (18.96%), peach (18.21%), multifruit (16.8%) and apple juice (3.47%).

As for types of packaging, cartons continue to dominate the sector, accounting for 78.72% of the total, validating the industry's concern about establishing a sustainable production model. Plastic accounts for 14.45% and glass for 6.64%.

Consumers prefer the Food channel (78%) for buying juices and nectars, trailed considerably by the HoReCa (13.10%) and the Impulse channels (8%)

The importance of exports

The international market is an important salvation for Spain's juice and nectar sector, which leverages the extensive availability of fruit year-round. In 2015, 754,686 tons, worth over 593 million euros, were exported.

A total of 72.9% of Spanish juices and nectars are exported to the European Union. France, the primary destination, purchased 188.81 million euros worth in 2015, followed by Germany, which spent 50.45 million euros. The UK and Italy ranked third and fourth, respectively, and spent over 40 million euros.

In terms of flavors, orange juice was also the most exported juice, bringing in 166.54 million euros, followed closely by grape juice (165.54 million euros). Both account for 55% of the value of exports. Other citrus and mixed flavor juices accounted for 100.66 and 68.75 million euros, respectively.

Consumer profile

According to data from the 2015 Report on Food Consumption in Spain from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment (MAGRAMA), 20% of the liters consumed in the home are by couples with kids in their early teens, followed by couples with small children (16.2%) and households comprising retirees (14.3%).

The profile of average fruit juice and nectar consumers is a household comprising parents and children who are upper middle class, and the person who does the shopping is between 35 and 64 years old. They're usually large families with more than four people in total.

In terms of regions, the Canary Islands and Andalusia are the biggest consumers, and on the opposite side of the spectrum are Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country.

There is considerable scope for growth in terms of the numbers reflecting juice consumption for breakfast, since spending early in the morning is still 5% of the total (hot drinks account for 75%). Young people (under 35) usually have juice with their breakfast, while people over 50 are the least likely to do so.